This application claims the priority of German Application No. 199 28 885.2 filed Jun. 24, 1999, which is incorporated herein by reference.
This invention relates to a module, particularly a tufting module which has a module base body carrying a plurality of tools and which is to be mounted on a carrier bar of a textile machine.
Textile machines are conventionally provided with carrier bar assemblies which include a carrier bar for holding modules with module base bodies each carrying a number of tufting, knitting or Raschel tools. In addition to needles, the base body may support velour grippers, reed fingers, loop grippers and knives.
German Utility Model No. 295 20 281 discloses a carrier bar system in which the carrier bar has an essentially planar contact face for the cooperating contact faces of base bodies for tufting modules. According to an embodiment, a groove is provided in the planar contact face of the carrier bar, and at each clamping location for a tufting module an extension projects laterally in the direction of the tools. The base bodies of the tufting modules are accordingly provided with a T-shaped rib which fits into the groove and positions the tufting module. A securing screw is provided for tightening the tufting module to the carrier bar.
The tufting modules provided with T-shaped ribs can be used only with carrier bars provided with grooves specifically designed for such ribs.
The above-noted German Utility patent document further discloses an additional embodiment in which the contact face of the carrier bar is provided with a groove which extends through the carrier bar along its length. A strip provided with recesses is inserted into the groove. Each recess has a bottom which approximately covers the contact face of the carrier bar. The regions rising between the recesses form projections beyond the contact face of the carrier bar when the strip is positioned in the groove. The base bodies of the tufting modules have corresponding openings for the projections so that the projections are seated in a form-locking manner on the strip and are oriented by the strip relative to one another.
Such tufting modules can be utilized only in the specifically designed carrier bar/strip combination.
According to yet another embodiment disclosed in the above-identified German Utility Model document, a throughgoing strip is accommodated in the groove. The strip cooperates with a throughgoing groove provided in each module base body. Further, the module base body has at its end oriented away from the strip, a U-shaped recess into which extends an adapter member positioned in a recess of the carrier bar. Again, the base body of the tufting module is designed specially for such a configuration of the carrier bar.
Further, German Patent No. 4,406,412 discloses a carrier bar assembly for holding modules with tufting, knitting or Raschel tools. A fitting member is inserted between the base body of the respective module and the carrier bar. The fitting member has a first flat side oriented towards the carrier bar and a second flat side which is parallel to the first flat side and which is oriented towards the module base body. The module base body which, with one side, contacts the fitting member face-to-face, is pressed against the fitting member and the carrier bar by means of a pressing member contacting the other side of the module base body. As a result, the module base body is clamped between the fitting member and the pressing member. For orienting the module base body, a strip having an elongated contact face is provided at that end of the module base body which is oriented toward the needles.
The modules are not adapted for use for other carrier bars with profiled contact faces.
It is an object of the invention to provide a module of the above-outlined type which may be used with carrier bars having different configurations.
This object and others to become apparent as the specification progresses, are accomplished by the invention, according to which, briefly stated, an assembly for a textile machine includes a carrier bar for attachment to the textile machine; a module base body carrying a plurality of tools and having a mounting; and an adapter received in the mounting and including holding and orienting arrangements for holding the module base body and for orienting the module base body relative to the carrier bar. The adapter is suitable to conform variously configured module base bodies to variously configured carrier bars
The module according to the invention is structured as a standard module which may be adapted by means of suitable adapters to carrier bars having a wide variety of mounting systems, and dependent on the carrier bar system, the appropriate adapter is used. The base body of the module is provided with a mounting for accommodating the replaceable adapter. No firm connection has to be provided between the mounting and the adapter; it suffices if the mounting unequivocally positions the adapter and the module base body relative to one another. The mounting may be formed by a contact face forming part of the base body The adapter may have orienting means for a correct positioning relative to the base body as well as additional orienting means for the correct positioning relative to the carrier bar. Various adapters may have specific orienting means for various carrier bars. The module is then properly positioned on the carrier bar by means of the adapter. Dependent on the embodiment of the adapter the module may be adjusted along one or two axes (that is, it may be adjusted laterally or in height). By means of the position-determining adapter, the standard module may be used not only in various tufting machines with different carrier bar techniques but it is also feasible to reproduce the position of a module individually and independently from the entire module formation in various carrier bar mounting systems in various machines.
The adapter may be secured to the module in a form-fitting manner, for example, by means of profiles having a conical guide, a dovetail guide, a T-shaped guide or similar undercut contours. By means of a certain resilience of the adapter or parts thereof, a snap-in detent effect may be achieved.
If required, other or additional measures may be taken to securely hold the adapter captive on the module. Thus, for example, the adapter may be attached to the module by an adhering or adhesive substance. Further, a frictional securement is feasible by clamping in a recess or by pins which are frictionally seated in openings. As far as manufacture is concerned, a standard module may be provided which fits a specific carrier bar of a specific machine merely by using a specific adapter. The adapters may be irremovably attached to the module. Preferably, however, they are releasably held in a mounting of the module so that the modules may not only be specified by the manufacturer but also, by using different adapters, may be transferred by the user from one machine to another.
Basically, various adapter embodiments are feasible. For example, the adapter may be essentially a component on which no forces are exerted and which merely serves for positioning. In such a case a direct contact between the module base body and the carrier bar exists and thus a direct force transmission between these two components occurs.
In the alternative, the adapter may be an intermediate component so that the clamping and holding forces are transmitted over large areas.
In a further alternative the adapter may be a force-transmitting element positioned between the carrier bar and the base body and thus forms a connecting member between the module and the carrier bar. The mounting formed on the base body cooperates with the adapter preferably in a form-fitting manner. In such a module system, several adapters (that is, an adapter kit), each fitting into the module mounting, belong to a module and each adapter is configured in a carrier bar-specific manner. The adapters, which may be made of metal or plastic, make it possible to provide module base bodies having a simple basic form and even make possible a fit with carrier bar contact faces which have a complex geometry.